Before each financial results announcement event, those from Fortune asks American analysts how much they think Apple sold in the previous fiscal quarter, and for Q4 2012 Americans think Apple would have sold a maximum of 32 million iPhones. Fortune asked both professional analysts and independent analysts, and the average of professional analysts is 25.4 million iPhones, while the average of independent analysts is 27.4 million iPhones. If we look at what Apple achieved last year, we notice that the average estimates are up to 50% higher than what Apple sold in that period.
Below you have the estimates made by the 60 analysts questioned by Fortune, and there is the correct figure. No matter what Apple announces, analysts will be disappointed by the results, but shortly after expressing their disappointment, they return to better thoughts. Apple will announce on October 25 how many products it sold in Q4 2012 and what revenue/profit it had.
